Wednesday, May 25, 2016

DNA doesn't solve all crimes

But it does result in many false convictions largely because the analysis of DNA is subject to human error. Some of these errors are rather basic, such as a sample not matching the DNA collected. Some can be caused in situations such as that in North Carolina, where state and local law-enforcement agencies operating crime labs are compensated $600 for DNA analysis that results in a conviction. There is also the fact that it is unlikely that DNA typing passes the Frye Test, a legal standard that requires scientific evidence to have earned widespread acceptance in its field.

As with so much of life today, there are computer programs whose authors claim do a better job than people. Two problems here: the programs are written by people and the authors are unwilling to reveal the basic algorithms they use.

No comments: